Until 9 a.m. – Morning Edition Why people are turning their car keys over to perfect strangers; Meth makes a return in Blue Earth County. Plus: ‘Ask Cokie’ about military parades; aging and politics; and the Cuba sonic mystery.

9 a.m. – MPR News with Kerri Miller The consequences of rising college costs. A roundtable discussion on the cost of college tuition with Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, founder of the People of Color Career Fair, Trey Williams, director of TRIO/Student Support Services at Carleton College, and Isaac Jahraus, president of Lead MN. (Rebroadcast)

10 a.m.- 1A with Joshua Johnson Unraveling the financial ties between health advocacy groups and drug makers. America’s opioid crisis remains deadly; more than 40,000 people overdosed in 2016. A new report shows undisclosed financial ties between drug makers, patient advocacy groups and medical professionals, are making things worse. The pharmaceutical business is worth billions, but is it getting away with murder?

11 a.m. – 1A with Joshua Johnson< Reason, science, humanism, and progress. If the news is getting you down, perhaps you’re not seeing the bigger picture. Psychologist and author Steven Pinker says by most metrics, our world is healthier and less violent than it was.

1 p.m. – The Takeaway The complicated question of free speech and how institutions protect their students. White supremacists have found new recruiting grounds: college campuses.They’ve gone from boots to suits. From camo to khakis, in an attempt to present themselves as a legit part of the mainstream conversation.

2 p.m. – BBC NewsHour TBA

3 p.m. – All Things Considered A conservative view of the immigration debate; Olympic hockey without NHL players; Muslim Valentine’s Day cards; and federal proposals for paid family leave.

7 p.m. – The World Bilingual love letters. He spoke Swedish. She spoke Finnish. So in his letters to his beloved, composer Jean Sibelius tried writing in her language. And when he stumbled? She kissed his mistakes, right there on the page.

8 p.m. – Fresh Air Long haul trucker Finn Murphy has logged over a million miles and has been moving stuff back and forth across the country since 1980. He’s what’s known in the business as a “bed bugger” – a term for the truckers who move people’s belongings for them. Murphy has written a new memoir, “The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road.”

About the blogger

Bob Collins has been with Minnesota Public Radio since 1992, emigrating to Minnesota from Massachusetts. He was senior editor of news in the ’90s, ran MPR’s political unit, created the MPR News regional website, invented the popular Select A Candidate, started the two most popular blogs in the history of MPR and every day laments that his Minnesota Fantasy Legislature project never caught on.

NewsCut is a blog featuring observations about the news. It provides a forum for an online discussion and debate about events that might not typically make the front page. NewsCut posts are not news stories but reflections , observations, and debate.